Floor unit for refrigerators



oci. 23, 1945.

C. H. WALBE'RT FLOOR UNIT FOR REFRIGERATQRS Filed oc't. 13, 1943 2 Sheets-sheet 2 Patented Oct. 23, 1945 UNITED STATES PATEN T O'F'FIC E rFLOOR UNIT FDR REFRIGERATGRS Charles H. Walbert, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application Getober :13, 1943, Serial No. 506,106

v(Cl. 62-370) Claims.

This invention relates general-1y to the class 4of refrigeration and has to do particularly with refrigerators of the type employingice as .the 'refrigerating or chilling medium.

'l'he present invention has for vits. principal object `to provide. a novel refrigerated floor unit for refrigerated structures such as domestic or commercial ice-boxes, refrigerator cars or the like` which is constructed to receive the drainage from the Aice chamber so as to refrigerate the contents of the structure from the under side .and also to obtain the maximum of chilling effect from the ice .employed 'by introducing the ice-water resulting from the melting ice, under 'the material in the refrigerator.

Another object is to provide a 'removable floor unit for refrigerator food chambers or for other refrigerated structures., which is designed .to receive the drippings from the ice chamber of the refrigerator so that there will be maintained a reservoir of cold water in the iioor unit, upon which unit the food or other material which 'is to be Vkept refrigerated, is placed.

Other advantages will lbecome apparent as the description of the invention proceeds and the invention will vbe best understood from .a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it 'being understood that minor changes .or modifications may be made in the structure so long as such changes or modifications are within 'the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view partly in section and partly f in elevation of the lower front part of a refrigerator showing the refrigeratedoor unit embodying the present invention, in position within the food chamber, a portion of the structure being in section.

Figure 2 is central `vertical section through the lower part of the 'refrigerator structure and the refrigerated floor unit therein.

Figure 3 is a conventional illustration in perspective of an end of a refrigerator oar with the 'side removed, showing the installation .therein of a pair of refrigerated floor units constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring .now more particularly Vto the drawings 'there is shown in Figure 1 the lower portion of a domestic ice-box or refrigerator in .connection with which the present invention is shown. This domestic structure is generally indicated by the reference character R, the food chamber thereof being indicated at 'IU and the frontldoor leading into the food chamber 'by the numeral 1l The numeral l2 designates a unit iead-i-rrg down into the hack part Iof the food chamber from the upper compartment of the refrigerator Ain which the ice is placed, which unit is fully described in my copending application Ser. No. 506,105, Aiiled Oct. 1'3, 1943, directed toa refrigeration structure, and comprises a vertical ice cha-miser in which ice in a nely bro-ken up or divided form is vplaced and through which the drippings from the melting ice pass downwardly tolo'e 'discharged through the open bottom I3. it is not believed that any further or more 'detailed description of this i2 is necessary in the present application as such unit'is fully illustrated and described 'in my other application above identified and is lmerely shown to disclose 'one lmeans for conducting rdrippings from melting ice in the kupper ice chamber, into the oor 4unit constituting the `present invention. Such drippings lmight "be carried v'from the vupper ice chamber into `the rfloor unit by the Aordinary and well known drainage tube which commonly is found in ice refrigerators `for conducting the drainage from the upper ice chamber downwardly to a `discharge outlet leading 'from the lower part of the food compartment and it is therefore 'to be understood that `the present invention is not to 'be confined to the use of an ice-water supply means such as is shown Iout may be used in association` with any 'structure where ice is used for refrigerating purposes and from which drainage water may be taken.

ln 'accordance with the present invention there is provided a relatively shallow receptacle, indicated generally bythe numeral It, which comprises the bottom wall I5, top wall I6, front, side and back Walls designated respectively I'I, i8 .and I'9. At the back the wall i9 .and the adjacent portions of the side walls I8 are extended upwardly to a substantial height above the top wall "I6 and in cooperation with these walls there is an 11pwardly extending wall 20 spaced from the back wall I9 and joining the top walll., to form .a well 2 I. This well 2| extends across the full width of the back part of the receptacle I4 and Vin effect forms an open top, upward .extension of thehack part of the receptacle which, when the receptacle is in place in the bottom of the food chamber I0, resting upon the oor of the food chamber, is in proper position at the .back of the food chamber to receive drippings from the overlying unit I2 or from any other conducting means leading downwardly from the ice compartment .of the refrigerator.

The portion of the receptacle forwardly of the We11"2l is, as previously stated, relatively shallow and forms a hollow door unit resting upon the main door of the food chamber, upon which bodies of food maybe placed, the same, of course, resting upon the top wall I6.

Disposed Within the shallow portion of the receptacle I4, that is, forwardly of the well 2l, is a plurality of metal ns 22 which are secured to the top wall I6 and extend downwardly to relatively closely spaced relation with the bottom wall I5. These. fins serve as conductors to effect transfer of heat betweenthe contents of thefood chamber and the ice-water with which the receptacle is filled.

Supported in a suitable manner in the upper part of the well 2l are filter units each of which is generally designated U and which comprise flat trays having the upstanding side walls 23 and perforated bottom walls 24. Supported in spaced relation with the bottom Walls 24 is, in

each tray, a perforated cover plate 25 and be- -tween each cover-plate and thebottom 24 is chambers.

Any suitable means may be provided for draining the contents of the floor unit such as the rotary plug valve generally designated 2l, having an actuating or control stem 28 extending upwardly through the receptacle and between the filter trays so that the plug of the valve may be conveniently reached to be turned to drainposition. This valve may, if desired, be of thespecially designed form disclosed in my copending application, by means of 4which automatic intermittent siphon draining of the receptacle is eifected. Y AI In Figure 3 there is illustrated the application of the refrigerated :door unit to a car structure suchas a refrigerated car which is commonly employed for transporting fruit, meats or other filed October 13, 1943, it might here be stated that its design is such as to enable it to perform a particularly desirable function when used in a unit of the character here disclosed, in association with the lter units U. It will be noted that this particular drainage means comprises a siphon tube 21', and a vertically disposed overflow or drain tube 2l". This Siphon tube 2l' is designed to start functioning for the drainage of water from the well, when'the level of the water rises to the top of the tube. The stand pipe 21" has its upper end at an elevation above the bend of the siphon tube so that the water does not flow off through this stand tube unless the Siphon tube fails to function as, for example,

if it should become plugged. Accordingly the tube 21" seldom functions to carry off water from the well but it does function to admit air into the upper part of the well from the outside of the refrigerator structure so as to prevent the possibility of a vacuum being produced between the lter unit and the interior of the Well. The stand tube 2l also functions to carry olf gases which may form in the Well.

It will be seen upon reference to Figure 3 that the Well of the door unit as constructed for use in a refrigerator car will be disposed below the narrow lower portion of the ice bunker at the adjacent end of the `car so as to` receive drainage from within the Abunker and also to receive moisture formed upon the outer side ,of the bunker by condensation as such moisture will run down the outer surface of the bunker and drip from the lower part thereof into the lter unit which is mounted in the top of the well.

In refrigerators having circular cabinets th cold water reservoir may be built in circular form with the well and Siphon drain inthe center and the reservoir may be supported to revolve so as to function as a revolving food shelf. This could be accomplished without alteration of the food studs which must be kept, at a low temper- 4 ature. In this application, the car which is generally designated 29 has the cold water receptacle disposed upon the floor of the car in such a position that the Well of thereceptacle will be disposed beneath the drain outlet for the car ice .bunker which is generally designated by the reference numeral 30; A customary arrangement of such bunkers in a refrigerator car is one at each end of the car and therefore in an arrangement of this kind the receptacle or refrigerated loor unit which is generally indicated by the reference character' I4, is used in duplicate so that the ends remote from the well 2| will be in end opposed abutting relationand the well of each floor unit will be properly disposed' at the end of the car beneath the bunker to receive the ice-water fromthe bunker. Except for the fact that. the units used in the refrigerator car are of 'larger dimensions so as to completely Vcover the floor of the car they areeXactly the same in construction as 4the unit designed for use ina domestic or commercial type cf ice-box, each having a filter means in the upper part of the well and adrain means by which the contents of the receptacle may be runloif when and as necessary.

While, as previously stated, the drain valve 2l here illustrated forms the subject matter of a separate application for patent, Ser, N0, 506,104,

essential features of the invention.

1. InY a refrigerated structure having a food compartment and an ice chamber in the upper part thereof and having drainage means, a relatively shallow hollow floor unit adapted toA be placed within the food compartment to rest uponthe iioorh of such compartment, said floor unit having an upstanding open top Well, the well being arranged to receive water from the drainage means, and a lteringunit supported in and closing the top of said well.

2. Ina refrigerated structure having a food compartment and an ice chamber in the upper part thereof and having drainage means, a relatively shallow hollow oor unit adaptedto be placed Within the food compartment to rest upon the floor of such compartment, said floor unit having an upstanding open top well, the well being arranged to receive water from the drainage means, a drainage means for the floor unit, located within the well to maintain a predetermined water level therein, and a filter unit formed to position vwithin thetop of the well to close the latter, the lter unit being maintained at an elevation above the water level.

3. In a refrigerated structure having a food compartment and an ice-chamber in the upper part thereof andyhaving drainage means, a relatively shallow hollow vfloor unit adaptedto pcsition within the food compartment to rest upon and cover substantiallytheentire area of the bottom of the compartment, said oor unit including an upstanding portion extending across the rear and open at its top to form a well, the Well being arranged to receive drainage from the drainage means, the floor unit having a top wall upon which may be placed material to be refrign erated, a plurality of iins integral with the underside of said top Wall and suspended therefrom within the floor unit and spaced from the bottom of the unit, drainage means leading from the Well and constructed and arranged to maintain a water level in the well above said top Wall of the unit, and a filter closing the top of the Well and maintained at an elevation above said 'Water A level.

4. In a refrigerated structure having a food compartment, an ice chamber in the upper part thereof and having drainage means, a relatively shallow hollow floor unit formed to position within the food compartment upon the floor of the food compartment, said hollow iloor unit having a bottom wall and a top wall extending over and in spaced parallel relation with the major portion of the bottom wall, the oor unit including side and back Walls, a well forming upward extensions of the top, side and back Walls and having an open top, the open top of the Well being positioned to receive drainage from the ice compartment, a drainage means for the floor unit constructed and arranged to maintain a predetermined water level in the well above said top wall, a flat lter unit formed to t within and close the top of the well, and means Within the Well-for maintaining the lter unit at an elevation therein above the water level.

5. In a refrigerator car structure having an ice bunker across each end of the car, each bunker having downwardly discharging drainage means, a pair of relatively shallow hollow floor units adapted to be placed Within the car upon the car floor to cover the latter, each of said floor units having a bottom wall and a top Wall extending over and in spaced parallel relation With the major portion of the bottom wall and side and back walls, a well forming upward extensions of the top, side and back walls and having an open top, the units being disposed upon the car floor With the `well of each unit beneath the drainage discharge means for a bunker, drainage means for each well constructed and arranged to maintain a predetermined water level therein, and a at lter unit supported within and closing the top of each well, each filter unit being maintained at a level above the water level ln the well.

CHARLES H. WALBERT. 

